Weird Flex Yoga
The story of Weird Flex Yoga begins with local artist and photographer Michelle Waters searching for metal yoga classes. “I love listening to metal, and I knew metal yoga classes existed, but I couldn’t find classes that played metal in our area.”
For Michelle, metal is her relaxing music. Unlike traditional yogis who enjoy mellower sounds, metal is what helps Michelle’s shoulders ‘drop,’ she said. So after searching for years for the classes she wanted, she decided to pursue her own certification as an instructor and create the classes herself.
“I chose the name Weird Flex because we say it at our house all the time, I love to laugh at myself, I’ve felt like a weirdo outsider all of my life, and I wanted to help normalize the ‘weird’ in life,” said Michelle. “Also, we have kind of a non-traditional approach to yoga, so not only are the class themes unusual but a lot of times the way we move or pose in class is not the traditional way. It’s okay to be weird. To me, it’s extra cool and creative.”
Weird Flex Yoga was a way for Michelle to create a class and atmosphere that accommodates people who have similar struggles as herself. She said she has some struggles with processing information that comes at her quickly and anxieties over trying to keep up in a class. “I often felt like I didn’t belong in most of the classes I went to. The teacher would be calling out the names of poses I didn’t know, and by the time I would figure it out, they’d already moved on to the next pose.”
Michelle said she’s also not super flexible and would feel embarrassed when she couldn’t do the poses she was expected to go into. “I knew I wanted to slow things down quite a bit, play some metal in class, offer lots of explanations and options for poses and stretches, and overall just encourage a lot of agency and personal power in each person’s personal practice. I wanted to offer the experience I was having a hard time finding. Oh, and in metal yoga, we swear. A lot.”
The beauty of Weird Flex is that it can be whatever someone needs it to be. Michelle especially appreciates when students come to her with their challenges.
“I love creating an environment of openness and strong communication, and when a student feels like they can share that a pose feels off, or they’re frustrated they can’t hold their back upright, or get a full stretch due to a range of motion challenges, we work out a way to make it work for THEM, with zero shame.”
Michelle doesn’t push her students beyond their comfort zones and instead encourages them to check in with themselves and decide what feels right for them in that particular moment. The most important thing, she said, is students showing up for themselves. “There are no awards for perfection.”
On Mondays, Michelle teaches Adaptive Yoga classes through Wood County Society in Parkersburg. “We have students who practice with wall support, use wheelchairs and/or folding chairs, use support tools like foam blocks, straps, cushions, blankets, etc., and we talk about how pretty much all of the poses we do can be adapted to their unique bodies,” said Michelle. “For most of the most popular traditional yoga poses, there are over 100 ways to do EACH pose. Yet we often only learn one or two ways to do them.” Adaptive Yoga brings the pose to the student, instead of forcing the student to meet the pose.
In addition to the more traditional Hatha and Vinyasa certifications, Michelle has certification in Trauma-Informed Yoga and Yoga for Incarcerated People, both of which she said she finds very empowering. Trauma-Informed practices emphasize options for poses as well as awareness of words, movements, and atmosphere that could be activating for someone with trauma.
“The Yoga for Incarcerated People training was my favorite so far, though,” said Michelle. “The exercises we did that encouraged processing strong emotions and emotional regulation were honestly life-changing for me, and I can’t wait to explore more with those ideas.”
In every Weird Flex Yoga class, students can expect to feel like they belong. They can expect a very relaxed, slow-paced, open-dialogue environment where they can laugh and can get real, can tap into what their own body needs or wants, and learn ways to take the movement and breathing methods from class and adapt them for their own body.
“We talk about the physical goals of our breaths and poses, and what parts of the mind and body they work with, and while keeping things safe and aware, build from that knowledge to make the process fun and complimentary for everyone,” said Michelle.
For those who are fortunate enough to know Michelle, it’s no surprise that her classes are a lot of fun. A lot of laughing, and talking. “For music-themed classes like Metal or Goth Yoga, we also have a sweet soundtrack/playlist that the students help create.” And sometimes Michelle and her students build the yoga into other themes or experiences – stay tuned, she’s got some great experiences lined up for Spooky Season!
Michelle is very excited about her new classes and fall schedule. Here’s where you can find Weird Flex Yoga over the next few months:
Monday, August 14, 6:00 pm: Adaptive Yoga with Friends at Wood County Society, Parkersburg, WV! Enjoy a laid-back environment where we learn options for some of the most popular poses in yoga, in a zero judgment zone. It’s called Yoga with Friends, because everyone who signs up can bring one friend for free! This is an indoor class.
Sunday, August 20, 11:45 am: Metal Yoga Pool Party at North Hills Pool, Parkersburg, WV! Stretch and breathe to the relaxing sounds of Metal (the class takes place before pool hours). Then after we’re done, go hop in the North Hills Pool for the afternoon. The first 10 people to sign up get a pool pass included in their fee. This class is outdoors, but not *in* the pool. The pool party is after class. All Metal welcome. Swearing encouraged.
Sunday, September 10, 2:30 pm: Yo-Goth at The Anchorage in Marietta, Ohio! Goth music and theme to our stretching and breathing, in a haunted mansion! Choose your favorite Goth song to add to the class playlist.
Friday, September 15, 8:45 am: Chair Yoga for Artists at Parkersburg Art Center, Parkersburg, WV! As part of the Parkersburg Picalilli Artist’s conference, I’ll be teaching ways to release back and shoulder tension, flex the wrists and arms, and strengthen your artsy selves as we also play around with some mental and visual stretches, and throw in some “go with the flow” mindset, to help tap into your creativity-all from the comfort of your chair. This indoor, chair-supported class is included in the 2-day conference registration and can be signed up for through this link.
Friday, September 29, 5:30 pm: “Monster Yoga on the Farm”, Coolville, OH! For the first time ever, join us for Yoga at Murphy’s Farm (home of the famous haunted maze, Field of Screams) for yoga with a spooky twist. Our theme will be Monsters and Metal in one of Murphy’s Farm’s fields. After we’ve had the chance to stretch and relax in class, it’s off to the tractor, as we’re ushered out to the best haunted maze in the area, and will be among the first people to enter the maze, this year. The first 10 people to sign up get their Field of Screams admission included! This class is outdoors.
Sunday, October 1st, 10:30 am: Metal Yoga at Bizarre Bazaar, Marietta, OH! Join us for breathing and stretching to your favorite metal soundtrack, as we help kick start one of the coolest local events, Bizarre Bazaar (at Monkey’s Uncle Tattoo), featuring all kinds of unique vendors. We’ll be holding class in the grassy area between Monkey’s Uncle and the new McCarter Health building (as a partnership with McCarter Health Center) and will relax into pure Metal bliss before taking in this very special and eclectic, annual flea market. There’s also a possibility that there could be a merch drop at this class, and everyone who signs up may get the first Weird Flex swag. This is an outdoor class.
More classes to come! You’ll be able to sign up for all of the classes above (besides the Parkersburg Picalilli Artists Conference, linked above) here, starting on Monday, August 7th:
Photography by Jewels Whitley